Week 0 Lone Star Showdown Would Be 'Magical' Says Aggies AD Bjork
When it was announced that Texas and Oklahoma would be moving to the SEC, it offered the chance to reignite some old rivalries. Chief among them - the Lone Star Showdown between Texas A&M and Texas.
One question that will need to be answered, though, is how the scheduling will work when there's 16 teams in the conference.
The two most likely options are nine conference games with three permanent rivals and the other six games rotating, or an eight conference games model that ensures ones protected rival and sees the other seven conference games rotated.
Aggies' athletic director Ross Bjork, of course, has made it clear what model Texas A&M prefers.
“No one can predict exactly where it’s gonna go,” Bjork said. “But I think there’s a lot of belief that the data is going to show us that nine games is the right model. And hopefully, that’s where we’ll end up. That’s what (the Aggies are) in favor of.”
Assuming the SEC chooses the nine conference games model, it would more than likely make the Longhorns and Aggies one of each other's protected rivals. Then, the question shifts to when would the two teams still play on Thanksgiving.
“We haven’t seen where those games will be slotted from a calendar standpoint,” Bjork said.
If they don't play on Thanksgiving, though, Bjork admitted the potential appeal of playing in Week 1 - or even Week 0.
“I hadn’t really thought about that,” Bjork said. “Honestly, I mean, that would be a magical weekend to kick it off that way.”
There is no telling when the Aggies or Longhorns will play. The SEC still has to pick its 16-game model, and then decide protected rivals based on that. When they do play, though, there is no doubt that the initial game will be must-see television.
You can follow Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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